This is the drastic step I took to lose half my bodyweight at 50 - without fat jabs: I was on my way to an early death just like my mother but now I'm healthier than ever, my diabetes is in remission and I'm convinced it even saved me from cancer

It was the year after my mother died, aged just 65, that I decided to change my life and take control of my health. Mum was the first woman in our family to live past the age of 50.